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StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void
Legacy of the Void is the name of the StarCraft II protoss campaign and episode. It will be the third StarCraft II product and will be released separately from the other two games, Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm,Mike Farley. 2008-10-10. StarCraft II Single Player Is A Trilogy! Kotaku.com Accessed 2008-10-10.Eduardo Vasconcellos. 2008-10-10. Blizzcon 08: StarCraft II Split Into Three Games. IGN. Accessed 2008-10-10. occurring after them chronologically,StarCraft Legacy staff. 2008-04-04. StarCraft II Lore Panel. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed on 2009-05-12 beginning immediately after the ending of Heart of the Swarm.2007-17-11, StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 46. Karune. Accessed on 2008-18-11 It was expected to be priced as an expansion in 2009.Webnet. 2009-08-17. Rob Pardo Q&A - Battle.net, Wings of Liberty, and more. StarCraft Source. Accessed 2009-08-29. However, it will now be released as an independent installment, not requiring StarCraft II vanilla to run.2014-11-07, BlizzCon 2014 Opening Ceremony. StarCraft Legacy, accessed on 2014-11-11 It will receive a simultaneous PC/Mac release. The game's beta began on March 31, 2015.2015-03-18, Legacy of the Void Beta Preview. Blizzpro, accessed on 2015-03-20 Pre-purchasing the game gives access to the beta and to the Whispers of Oblivion mini-campaign. Storyline The protoss were being systematically exterminated and were dying out from sheer age even before the Great War."The Protoss are sort of a troubled species. They're being systematically exterminated, and were being exterminated long before the Zerg arrived. They were starting to die out from their sheer age, but now that the Zerg came and their home world is gone, these guys are really having a lot of trouble." Dustin Browder, Jonathan Ross. 2009-06-29. Destructoid interview: StarCraft II's Dustin Browder. Destructoid. Accessed on 2009-07-23 The protoss have been picked off one-by-one, and their shattered civilization will fracture as something even worse happens, forcing a leader to save them from annihilation."What we're talking about for the Protoss campaign is -- y'know, the Protoss are a shattered civilization, right. They've been beaten and pummeled by the brutality of the StarCraft universe for years and years and years now, and we might bring into the campaign something even worse happens to them, and they ultimately just fracture into all these different factions. And so you are working as one of the Protoss Heroes trying to re-unite the Protoss before annihilation." Dustin Browder et al. 2009-09-04. BlizzCon 2009 StarCraft 2 Fansite Q&A - Part 4/5. Youtube. Accessed 2009-10-07. Various protoss factions will be united for a last stand against Amon.2014-11-07, StarCraft II Legacy of the Void Campaign Overview. YouTube, accessed on 2014-11-13 The protoss will be at the forefront of the story. Jim Raynor and Sarah Kerrigan will feature in the story, but Amon is the primary issue. Chris Metzen has likened the story to that of the film 300, with a small force engaging a much more powerful one in a desperate last stand. The storyline will conclude the StarCraft II trilogy,2013-03-18, Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void Is Similar to 300, Says Game Director. Softpedia, accessed on 2013-03-19 and will bring an overall end to the ''StarCraft'' saga that began in the original game.2015-03-19, StarCraft's Story Concludes With Legacy of the Void. GameSpot, accessed on 2015-03-26 However, the game has been written in such a way that those who haven't played the previous installments (a possibility as per the game's stand-alone status in terms of installation) will not be lost.2014-11-25, AusGamers StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void Developer Interview with Blizzard's Allen Dilling. AusGamers, accessed on 2014-11-26 Locations visited in the campaign include Korhal and Shakuras.2014-11-07, BlizzCon 2014 – StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void Screenshots. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2014-11-12 It has been hinted that the fate of Tassadar will be revealed.2015-05-22, BlizzCon 2014 – StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void Overview Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2015-05-23 The game will have more than thirty real-time cinematics. Whispers of Oblivion Zeratul continued to research the final part of the xel'naga prophecy in the aftermath of the previous conflict.Blizzard Entertainment. 2015-06-16. Whispers of Oblivion – Prologue to Legacy of the Void. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2015-06-17. Oblivion Artanis intended to retake Aiur, but found himself leading forces against Amon instead.Blizzard Entertainment. 2014-11-07. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void - Oblivion. Youtube. Accessed 2014-11-08. Gameplay The attack speed of units in the game has, as of February 2015, been reduced by 40% when compared to Heart of the Swarm, while adding damage to compensate. Scan range has also been increased in order to increase unit effectiveness in combat.2015-02-12, Legacy of the Void: Multiplayer Development Update – February 12, 2015. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2015-02-14 Singleplayer Legacy of the Void is primarily a singleplayer expansion.2014-09-24, StarCraft 2: Legacy Of The Void Release Date: Are Heroes Of The Storm & Hearthstone Going To Delay The StarCraft 2 Expansion?. iDigital Times, accessed on 2014-10-11 The campaign was intended to focus on Zeratul as its main characterRob Pardo. 2008-10-10. Starcraft 2 Trilogy Announcement. Wegame.com Accessed 2008-10-12. but the focus changed to Artanis by 2014.Blizzard Entertainment. 2014-11-07. Legacy of the Void: Campaign Preview. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2014-11-08. Zeratul will still feature prominently however. The game will feature a prologue in a manner similar to the previous games. Artanis will travel on the arkship Spear of Adun and interact with characters such as Phasesmith Karax and a preserver, Rohana. The ship will have been derelict for hundred of years and will require upgrades. It has been stated that Artanis will likely be able to be controlled in unit form.2015-05-22, BlizzCon 2014 – StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void Overview Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2015-05-23 The protoss campaign will be based on diplomacy as the protoss factions splinter.Allen 'Delsyn' Rausch, Dustin Browder. 2008-10-10. StarCraft II: Making the Split (PC) (page 2). Gamespy. Accessed 2008-10-12. The player will work with different protoss tribesDustin Browder and Thierry Nguyen . 2008-12-30. StarCraft 2 Wings of Liberty (PC). 1up.com Accessed 2008-12-31. and sects, helping leaders of some sects which will anger others.2008-10-13. BlizzCon Chris Sigaty StarCraft 2 Interview. IncGamers. Accessed on 2008-10-14 Using units from one side may preclude using units from the other side and alienating one or another sect may cut the player off from part of the campaign. New allies will bring with them new technologies and techniques. This forms the basis of the game's army customization. The ultimate goal of the campaign is to unite the various tribes into a viable, unified force that can ensure the protoss' survival.2009-06-29, Jonathan Ross, Destructoid interview: StarCraft II's Dustin Browder. Destructoid. Accessed on 2009-07-23 Units from StarCraft: Brood War will feature in the campaign. These include the arbiter, corsair, reaver, and possibly the scout. The dragoon unit will feature as well.Rob Zacny. 2014-11-08. How Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void makes your Protoss fantasies come true. PC Games N. Accessed 2014-11-11. The game will feature a similar number of missions to Heart of the Swarm. These include squad-based installation missions will feature. Brutal mode will still feature. The game will feature upgrade choices in a similar vein as the armory and evolution pit from the previous games2014-07-20, StarCraft 2: Legacy Of The Void Release Date: Will The Protoss Expansion Even Come Out In 2015?. Digital Times, accessed on 2014-07-24 through the solar core and war council. It is intended that the game's campaign have its own feel distinct from Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm. In the latter, Kerrigan composed a great portion of her forces' strength by herself. For Legacy of the Void, it is intended that no single protoss warrior be comparable to her in that regard via gameplay. Zeratul may be an exception, but any such missions would be based on stealth (e.g. assassination). The power of the protoss in the game is to come from the protoss as a whole, not a single individual. It has been indicated that Nova will make an appearance in the game,2011-10-22, BlizzCon 2011 - Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm - Campaign and Lore Panel (Full). YouTube, accessed on 2011-11-07 and hinted that the hybrids will play a "critical role."2014-04-08, Which Blizzard Characters Should Appear in Heroes of the Storm?. Gamespot, accessed on 2014-04-09 The player will be able to choose the order of visiting planets in a manner similar to previous games. Bonus objectives can be completed within missions. Characters *Amon *Artanis *Matt Horner *Karax *Sarah Kerrigan *Jim Raynor *Rohana *Selendis *Urun *Valerian Mengsk *Vorazun *Zeratul Multiplayer New units were confirmed at BlizzCon 2014, along with Archon Mode2014-11-07, Blizzpro. Twitter, accessed on 2014-08-11 and Allied Commanders. The game will also feature automated tournaments;2014-11-07, StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void Warps into BlizzCon 2014. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2014-11-11 Blizzard is considering a 30 minute maximum to prevent drawn out tornument matches, at which point, the side that has gained the most XP in the match will be declared the match winner.2015-05-11, Legacy of the Void Beta: Balance Update Preview - May 11. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2015-05-21 New tilesets. will be implemented.2014-11-07, BlizzCon 2014 – StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void Overview. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2014-11-13 Units may be added/removed prior to and during the game's beta.2014-11-19, Legacy of the Void: Multiplayer Development Update – November 19, 2014. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2014-11-24 Many of the new maps in the game will be protoss-themed. Blizzard hopes that the maps will have greater diversity than previous installments, especially in regards to rush maps vs. macro maps.2015-04-14, Legacy of the Void Beta: Balance Update Preview. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2015-04-17 Blizzard intends to focus on micromanagement (to avoid simply using large unit clumps), harassment, and constant attacks in the new expansion. "Passive time", such as the low-activity early-game, will be avoided. Changes include reducing the amount of minerals and vespene gas in order to encourage the creation of new expansions. The starting worker count will increase from 6 to 12, and the starting buildings (command center, nexus and hatchery) will create more supply, psi and control to make creating new workers possible).Blizzard Entertainment. 2014-11-08. Legacy of the Void: Multiplayer Preview. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2014-11-09. The game's multiplayer is intended to give a sense of constant combat. Game speed has been reduced to be syncronous with real-time. This will affect speed values, movement speed values, cooldown times, research times, upgrade times, and unit build times will all need to be re-memorized. Players are encouraged to offer feedback as to whether this change is preferable. Whatever the case, Legacy of the Void will either feature this time system, or the old one, not both.2015-03-18, Legacy of the Void Beta Preview. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2015-03-20 Mech and air upgrades may be split for the game.2014-12-17, Legacy of the Void: Multiplayer Development Update – December 17, 2014. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2014-12-21 Blizzard is considering making adjustments to the game's ladder system.Blizzard Entertainment. 2015-03-02. StarCraft II Ladder Update -- March 2, 2015. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2015-03-07. Protoss The following protoss units are added/altered in the game: *'Adept' *'Disruptor' *Carrier *Immortal *Mothership core *Oracle *Tempest *Warp prismBlizzard Entertainment. 2014-11-07. Legacy of the Void - Multiplayer Update: Protoss. Youtube. Accessed 2014-11-09.Blizzard Entertainment. 2014-11-08. Legacy of the Void: Multiplayer Preview. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2014-11-09. Terran The following terran units are added/altered in the game: *'Cyclone' *'Liberator' *Banshee * * *Marauder *Medivac dropship *Raven *Reaper * Blizzard Entertainment. 2014-11-07. Legacy of the Void - Multiplayer Update: Terran. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2014-11-09. *Thor Zerg The following zerg units are added/altered in the game: *'Lurker' *'Ravager' *Corruptor *Hydralisk *Infestor *Nydus worm *Overlord *Roach *Swarm hostBlizzard Entertainment. 2014-11-07. Legacy of the Void - Multiplayer Update: Zerg. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2014-11-09. *Viper2015-03-18, Legacy of the Void - Closed Beta. YouTube, accessed on 2015-03-22 Development By 2013 Blizzard Entertainment had begun working on Legacy of the Void's story, scripts and missions.Kaivax. 2013-03-06. Reddit AMA Full Transcript. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2013-03-07. The development team (at least for the singleplayer) is mostly the same as the one that worked on Wings of Liberty,2015-06-26, Blizzard's Secrets of Storytelling in StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void. GameSpot, accessed on 2015-06-28 though new artists were brought onto the game's art team that had not worked on Heart of the Swarm. Additionally, prior to the summer of 2013, members of Team 4 who had worked on Titan were transferred to work on Legacy.2015-05-27, BlizzCon 2014 – Overwatch Origins Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, retrieved on 2015-05-31 By February 2014, Blizzard was "hard at work" on the game,2014-02-06, Activision Blizzard Q4 2013 Conference Call – Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2014-06-11 and work on the game's cinematics was well underway.2010-2011, Starcraft 2 Hybrid Destroyer. Deviantart, accessed on 2015-03-29 By August 2014, the development team was in discussion concerning community suggestions pertaining to the expansion.2014-08-29, Legacy of the Void: What we know so far. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2014-08-29 The game was formally revealed at BlizzCon 2014.2014-11-07, StarCraft 2 Legacy of the Void Trailer (PC). Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2014-11-12 Singleplayer By BlizzCon 2014, work was still being done on balancing the campaign. By June 2015, the game's Brutal mode was being balanced.2015-06-22, Blizzard will wrap up 17 years of storytelling in StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. Gamesbeat, accessed on 2015-06-26 The developers are open to including Easter eggs in the game. However, Easter eggs are usually inserted towards the end of production, and as of the above date, had not been considered. A focus of development was that gameplay drive story in the game, and that the two mesh well together. Story The story of Legacy of the Void was the first point of development for the game, as the gameplay of StarCraft II had been solidified with the previous titles. The story was worked on collaboratively between James Waugh, Chris Metzen, Samwise Didier, Jason Huck, Allen Dilling, Justin Thavirat, Matt Morris, and Dustin Browder over the period of several months. Waugh served as the lead writer,2013-02-14, Grand Old Podcast Episode 88 Transcript. Rival Cast Media, accessed on 2013-05-12 while the overall story arc was created by Metzen. One of the original writing inspirations was Seven Samurai.2015-06-22, Blizzard will wrap up 17 years of storytelling in StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. GamesBeat, accessed on 2015-06-24 It is intended to be a protoss story first and foremost, that it services the protoss primarily, while also wrapping up lingering threads from the previous games.2014-12-01, BlizzCon 2014 LotV Lore Community Corner Discussion with James Waugh. YouTube, accessed on 2015-04-03 As of August 2013, the game's story has been written, many of the cinematics have been completed, and voice actors have begun work.2013-08-12, Robert Clotworthy Announced Voice Recording for the StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void Expansion Has Begun. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2013-08-12 As of November 2013, Dustin Browder was satisfied with the game's story, but felt the missions and campaign mechanics needed more work, to make them "feel" like protoss missions.2013-11-09, StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void: Campaign Needs More Work, Blizzard Says. Warcry Network, accessed on 2013-11-09 The story is intended to capture the tragic nature of war, and to have a dark tone, as per it being the final installment in the StarCraft II trilogy.2015-03-06, PAX East 2015 Blizzard Panel | Blizzplanet (1/2). YouTube, accessed on 2015-03-22 It is thematically based around the idea of a race that needs to change, how the protoss have been bound to a method of thinking that has served its time. It was intended for the story to have the following tenants: *Create a distinctly protoss story while wrapping up the story threads of the StarCraft II trilogy—keep the story focused on the protoss and their lore. *Create an epic end times scenario for the player to stand against—deliver on the threat of Amon. *Fullfill the fantasy of playing as protoss. Through the nature of the Khala, it is intended that the game explore themes of collectivism vs. individuality. Per the above "fantasy" tenant, the overall fantasy of Legacy of the Void corresponds to the protoss returning to the fore, for one last battle. A challenge for writing for the game is that the protoss do not possess the same kind or amount of body language as humans. The writers watched episodes of ER, for as it per its nature as a medical drama, the characters' faces are often covered bar their eyes. Eye movement was studied in regards to how it could apply to protoss characters, as their eyes are their main conveyers of emotion. While the protoss are intended to be "unkowable" (in regards to humans/terrans), it was also intended that elements of humanity still shine through. Zeratul was originally the protagonist of the game—he had featured prominently in the previous installments of the StarCraft II trilogy. However, the protagonist role was changed to Artanis, as the developers felt that as Legacy of the Void was a protoss story, Artanis was in a better position to represent the protoss race as a whole. It was decided that Zeratul's role was best served as a mentor figure in the game's story, said role likened to that of Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Star Wars universe in this regard. Originally, characters from The Dark Templar Saga were to feature in the game. However, according to Waugh, their inclusion felt forced, and the idea was abandoned. Multiplayer In 2011, Chris Sigaty expressed doubt that new units would be added to the game, and that if they are added, it is likely that other units will be removed from multiplayer.2011-06-03, StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void Possible Removal. Gamersbrook, accessed on 2011-06-07Tom Senior. 2011-05-31. StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void could have less units than Heart of the Swarm. PC Gamer. Accessed 2011-06-07. This was refuted by Blizzard employee Kevin Johnson in 2013 stating that "no new units isn’t a direction we’re considering or have ever considered."December, 2013, Mana vs Firecake Money war. Reddit StarCraft, accessed on 2014-05-13 New units were revealed at BlizzCon 2014.2014-11-09, StarCraft II Legacy of the Void Multiplayer. YouTube, accessed on 2014-11-12 The game's beta was announced in March, 2015. Collector's Edition The game will have a collector's edition. It will include a pet for use in Diablo III,2015-03-13, 7 Things We Can Look Forward to BlizzCon 2015 on November 6 and 7. 2P News, accessed on 2015-04-19 an archon pet for World of Warcraft, a void seeker mount in Heroes of the Storm, protoss cards for Hearthstone, protoss-themed portraits and skins in StarCraft II, a special edition of the StarCraft Field Manual, a cinematics and special features DVD, plus a CD soundtrack.Blizzard Entertainment. 2015-07-15. Legacy of the Void™ Now Available for Pre-Purchase. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2015-07-20. References Category: StarCraft II Legacy of the Void Category: Games Category: Storyline Category:Protoss